Claire Chandler (Tasmania, Liberal Party, Shadow Assistant Minister for Foreign Affairs) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I move:

That the Senate take note of the document.

I rise to briefly take note of the report President's report to the Senate on the status of government responses to parliamentary committee reports as at 30 June 2023 and to draw attention to the slow progress of the government in responding to the report on human rights implications of recent violence in Iran.

While as a general rule we do not object to government taking an appropriate amount of time to formulate a response to committee reports, senators will recall that this particular inquiry examined a crisis situation in Iran that was, and is, particularly targeting women and girls. With the support of Senator Lambie as a co-sponsor, I moved to establish this inquiry to respond to an emergency situation. All members of that committee acted with urgency and put a significant amount of work and effort into ensuring we could complete this inquiry and make recommendations as expeditiously as possible, which we did by reporting on 1 February this year. As of yesterday, it has been six months since the committee reported—a report which we put together in approximately three months after considering hundreds of submissions.

Soon after the tabling of this report, it was confirmed by the Minister for Home Affairs that Australians are being targeted here in Australia by the Islamic Republic regime, and we know from security and intelligence agencies around the world that this regime is attempting assassinations and kidnappings against critics in Western countries. This is an incredibly serious situation, and it's why the committee made 12 recommendations to the Australian government for action, including recommendations that the responsible ministers provide an update to the parliament and the Australian public on the government's current assessment of whether persons connected to the IR regime are undertaking such behaviour in Australia. This hasn't occurred.

We recommended that the government take the necessary steps to formally categorise the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps as an organisation involved in supporting and facilitating terrorism. That also hasn't occurred. In fact, the government is refusing to take those necessary steps.

We recommended that Australia should minimise relations with the Islamic Republic of Iran to the greatest extent possible in recognition of the appalling behaviour of the regime. Yet, even after the home affairs minister revealed an Australian had been targeted in their own home, the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade advised that it did not intend to change any element of our diplomatic relations with the IRI. There does not appear to have been any consequences initiated by Australia whatsoever for the regime's unacceptable actions.

I asked DFAT in Senate estimates back in May where the government's response to our report was. I was told it was being considered. This was back in May. I want to stress again that in a month's time we will mark one year since Jina Mahsa Amini was killed. It has been more than six months since the committee reported. I hope that both the Senate and the Iranian Australian community, which I know for a fact has repeatedly written to this government asking for these recommendations to be implemented, are shown the courtesy and respect of being provided with the government's formal response. I seek leave to continue my remarks later.

Leave granted; debate adjourned.